*Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to the documentary “Invisible Beauty,” which centers on pioneering Black model Bethann Hardison.
“In her lifetime, Hardison has seen the pendulum swing toward and away from the Black model,” notes a release about the documentary, per Deadline. “At every setback, she spoke up and rallied her colleagues and clients in the industry to advance change. Now in her 70s, the Brooklyn native is writing her memoir, taking stock of her own legacy at a moment when the fashion industry was shaken by discrimination.”
Per Deadline, “Invisible Beauty” traces Hardison’s “impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s. Featuring intimate interviews with luminaries including Iman, Tyson Beckford, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, Fran Lebowitz, Pat Cleveland, Naomi Campbell, and Stephen Burrows, Invisible Beauty is an absorbing record of the racial evolution of fashion and an original contemplation on the life of an unparalleled trailblazer.”
In a statement, Magnolia Pictures co-CEO Dori Begley said, “Bethann and Frédéric have created a gorgeous, evocative memoir that serves as a cinematic blueprint for what it really means to be a maverick, and a shrewd catalyst for change.”
I had no idea that Kadeem Hardison’s (Dwayne from “A Different World”) mother, Bethann Hardison, was one of the biggest runway models back in the day, alongside Iman and Billie Blair.
Mama was OUT here. pic.twitter.com/GGO6DS0sRU
— her name is cyn ???? (@cynfinite) April 14, 2021
The project made Hardison (mother of actor Kadeem Hardison) reevaluate her own cultural contributions, she says, according to Deadline.
“Often I have said I didn’t think I had a story to document but once I got out of my way and allowed the collaboration with Frédéric, it made me a believer,” Hardison said. “The impact of hearing the responses of the audience has made me know further that this is and will be a film of legacy. Being recognized by Magnolia to partner has been an aspiration of mine and now to go as far as we can is the goal.”
Fascinating.
Ralph Lauren celebrated his company’s 50th anniversary in Central Park.
Here he’s supported by his son, Oprah, DeNiro, Pierce Brosnan, Anna Wintour, Spielberg, DVF, Steve Schwarzman, Tom Hiddleston and Kanye.
But, he gets most emotional with Bethann Hardison. pic.twitter.com/HrREpY2oy1
— kyle alex brett (@kyalbr) September 8, 2018
Directed by Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng, “Invisible Beauty” premiered at Sundance before screening at Tribeca Festival.
Magnolia has slated a September 15 theatrical release for the doc.
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